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San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Chronicle's regional baseball players of the year
SAN FRANCISCO Archer Horn (St. Ignatius): One of three Wildcats to earn first-team All-West Catholic Athletic League selection, the left-handed-hitting shortstop and relief pitcher led the Chronicle's No. 8 team in batting average (.352), runs (30), hits (31) and home runs (seven) and committed just three errors in 88 total chances. He also had a 2-0 pitching record with a save and 2.02 ERA, and stole 16 bases in 17 attempts. The 10th-ranked 2026 prospect in California according to Prep Baseball Report committed to Stanford when he was a freshman. Quinten Marsh (Valley Christian): Another Stanford commit, Marsh, a senior outfielder and pitcher, was named the WCAL Player of the Year for the Chronicle's No. 3 team after hitting .505 with 46 hits, 30 RBIs and 15 doubles, all team highs. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder, ranked the No. 57 senior in the state by Prep Baseball Report, also went 7-2 on the mound with a 1.16 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 54⅓ innings. EAST BAY Bo Smith (St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo): The 5-foot-8, 160-pound middle infielder and center fielder for the Bruins (20-5) led the team with a .581 average (43 hits) with six doubles, three triples and four home runs and scored 46 runs. The four-year starter also stole 38 bases to finish with 100 in his career. He had three hits in a game seven times — including his final two games — and struck out just four times in 92 plate appearances. In his four-year career, Smith had 132 hits, 133 runs, 25 doubles and 12 triples. Arlo Pendleton (Petaluma): The Valley Vine Athletic League Co-Most Valuable Player not only ranked tied for sixth in the NCS with nine wins (against one loss, 1.37 ERA, 74 strikeouts, 56⅓ innings) but he also led the Trojans (20-7) with four home runs and batted .391. The Cal Poly signee had 25 hits and 22 RBIs. He was the winning pitcher in an opening-round NCS Division 1 game at Castro Valley.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
De La Salle's Tyler Spangler, All-Metro POY, draws big comparisons, posts huge numbers
De La Salle-Concord baseball coach David Jeans couldn't help himself watching Tyler Spangler one day at practice. He had to voice a comparison. Big frame. Big bat. Durable. Smooth. Quiet demeanor. 'You remind me of a young Cal Ripken Jr.,' said Jeans, who figured his junior shortstop wouldn't be familiar with the 19-time All-Star and two-time MVP who was out of Major League Baseball seven years before Spangler was born. Spangler thought for a moment and nodded gratefully. 'He had a pretty good career, didn't he, Coach?' Spangler said. Of course Spangler knew who Ripken was, Jeans reminded himself. This was Spangler, 'the throwback,' Jeans said. Never rattled. Nothing flashy. The consummate team player. Mature beyond his years. Never too up or too down. Ripken is a player Spangler would naturally emulate. But because he bats left-handed, Spangler is more often compared to Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager. Spangler's baseball idol is Barry Bonds. 'Utterly coachable,' Jeans said of Spangler. 'You tell him one thing to work on, he applies it right away. He processes it, works on it and gets it done.' Here's one thing he might not easily process: Spangler is the Chronicle's 2025 Metro Player of the Year. The modest 6-foot-3, 190-pounder led the Spartans (29-4) to their seventh North Coast Section title in eight seasons and third Northern California crown in four years, utilizing every facet of a nearly flawless all-around game. He entered the season having secured a scholarship to Stanford and was ranked the third-best junior in the nation (No. 1 in California) by Prep Baseball Report. He then went out and met all expectations, hitting a team-best .430 (43 hits, 100 at-bats) with 42 runs scored and 40 RBIs. He tied a De La Salle record with 10 home runs to go along with eight doubles and six triples, for a hefty OPS of 1.470 and slugging percentage of .930. On a team filled with stars — he's joined on the All-Metro first team by pitcher Graham Schlicht, infielder Antonio Castro and outfielder Alec Blair — Spangler was the obvious team and East Bay Athletic League MVP. 'He's the best player I've ever played with,' said senior Ethan Sullivan, a second-team All-Metro outfielder. 'His bat control, his hitting and defense is amazing. He's a great teammate, too. Super modest.' When asked about his junior campaign going into the season's final week, the third-year starter said: 'As long as we're winning, it doesn't really matter what I'm doing. As long as we're winning, it's all good and I'm happy.' Spangler rarely swung at pitches out of the zone and would often take the ball to left. He did so twice in the NorCal title game, lacing RBI doubles in the first and seventh innings down the left-field line, igniting the Spartans to a 5-4 win over Serra to close the season. It was a perfect conclusion to a season for Spangler, who made just five errors in 102 total chances, while leading the team with 63 assists. The Spartans made a program-low 25 errors this season, with Spangler also having a hand in a team-best 15 double plays. 'There's nothing he didn't do for us,' Jeans said. 'He's not fazed by exterior or interior expectations. If he makes a mistake, he corrects it, all with a very quiet confidence.'
Chicago Tribune
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
‘Pretty remarkable': West Aurora's Zach Toma is the 2025 Beacon-News/Courier-News Baseball Player of the Year
One day can change your life. West Aurora pitcher Zach Toma found that out on April 3. When he woke up that sunny morning, the junior left-hander knew that he would be on the mound. But he had no idea what was in store for him — and what was in store for his opponent. Toma ended up with 20 strikeouts in a stunning no-hitter for a 9-0 win over Joliet Central, and suddenly, people outside of the Blackhawks' program were talking about the talk of the town. 'It got posted on Prep Baseball Report, I was the player of the week, and after that, things started to roll in for me,' Toma said. 'They invited me to all-state games and that will do a lot for me.' Especially after Toma, the 2025 Beacon-News/Courier-News Baseball Player of the Year, struck out the first 15 batters of the game. That performance shocked everyone in attendance. The only thing preventing Toma's effort from being a perfect game was a dropped third strike on the second-to-last batter. It even prompted a phone call to former coach Dave Rowell. 'Pretty remarkable,' West Aurora coach John Reeves said. 'I called (Rowell) and said, 'Did you ever see anything like that?' He had some pitchers that were drafted, but that's pretty remarkable. '(Toma) was like, 'Why aren't they hitting the ball?' I said, 'Just keep executing your pitches.' He got noticed then. We knew what kind of player he was. At that point, people knew who he was.' But Toma still was taken aback as the game unfolded. 'I've had games like that where I'll strike out the first six guys,' Toma said. 'It got to a point where it kept going. Everything was working for me. It almost felt like it was fake for a little bit.' Toma rolled that momentum into a dominant season, both on the mound and with the bat. Besides going 7-2 with 99 strikeouts and a 1.07 ERA in 65 1/3 innings for West Aurora (27-7). Toma also was a force in the middle of the order, batting .459 with six homers and 46 RBIs. As a pitcher, he only allowed 35 hits and 16 walks. At the plate, he also scored 33 runs and added 10 doubles. His RBI total came up only two shy of the program's single-season record. 'He put in the hard work in the offseason,' Reeves said of Toma. 'He played football, which I think playing another sport is helpful. When he came back over the summer, he got taller and thicker. Once football was done, he was in the weight room. 'We even thought he could have been better. For us, we're excited about next year, what he can bring to the table as a senior, learning the game more, understanding how to pitch better and just maturing as a player.' Bartlett coach Alex Coan has been on the other end of Toma's game and came away impressed. 'He's by far one of the best pitchers in the state,' Coan said. 'I will go to war for that on. Locates well, mixes it up really well.' College interest started to ramp up for Toma after the no-hitter, with several schools making contact. The only question now remains — hitting or pitching? 'I would love to go to college and hit,' he said. 'I love hitting. I've always been a good pitcher. I worked hard and it showed with the bat. If I could go two-way, that would be the dream.' The attention only figures to increase this summer with his new travel team, Top Tier West. An extensive travel schedule and a star-studded roster figure to bring plenty of attention his way. 'It's a lot of driving, but I think it's worth the amount of attention we're getting,' Toma said. 'The nerves are there. They've always been there. I'm very excited, especially with the new team. 'I have to work harder to get seen more. It's that feeling of I have to be better and I have to work hard to make myself look good in front of these college coaches.'
Indianapolis Star
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Five storylines to watch entering 2025 IHSAA baseball state tournament
The road to Victory Field for the IHSAA baseball state championship begins Wednesday. Here are five storylines to watch for once postseason play begins. You could make an argument that every team in Sectional 8 (Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers, Zionsville, Noblesville, Westfield and Carmel) has a legitimate shot at playing for a Class 4A title. Unfortunately, two title contenders won't make it out of the first day of the tournament. I'm not from Indiana. Maybe baseball fans prefer the current tournament format. My first job covering high school sports was in Massachusetts. Massachusetts uses power rankings that weighs average margin of victory, opponent ratings, team's overall rating (avg. margin + opponent rating) and the team's rating are adjusted for forfeits. The results are entered into a formula, and a power ranking is produced, allowing each team in a division to be seeded. I think it would be great for the regular season to have added meaning. Yes, baseball can be very random. A hot pitcher or a hot team can string together wins and get all the way to the state championship game. But I think rewarding teams with tough schedules, and teams with great regular seasons would be great too. Lake Central won a thrilling Class 4A state title over Mooresville in the longest championship game ever last season. Lake Central entered the season as the team to beat, and the Indians once again appear poised for a deep title run. Kentucky commit Joshua Flores is one of the top pitchers in the state. The righty is 7-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 57 strikeouts over 29 innings. Sophomore shortstop Parker Robinson is a top-120 prospect nationally per Prep Baseball Report. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound righty is batting .338 with 15 RBI, 10 doubles and seven stolen bases. Senior Drew Kosteba leads Lake Central with a .407 batting average, 36 RBIs, eight doubles, three triples and three home runs. Five of Lake Central's top seven batters are seniors. LC has three senior pitchers with ERAs under 2.20. The reigning champs are as deep as ever and the road to the 4A championship will likely go through the Indians. Cathedral won its first baseball state championship in 2001 playing in Class 3A. The Fighting Irish won state titles in 2007 and 2017 in Class 4A. Now the Irish are back in Class 3A and have a great chance at making a deep tournament run. Cathedral enters the tournament 17-9, but its daunting schedule should have the squad ready for the postseason. Cathedral has quality wins over Franklin, Mooresville and Carmel. The Irish lost by one to 4A title contender Center Grove and led reigning 4A champion Lake Central 2-0. Shortstop Army commit Eli Sinsabaugh is an elite table setter at the top of the lineup. IU commit Eli Bennett is a smooth-swinging lefty slugger. Senior Bo Cooper is a plus defender behind the plate, and Landon Hughes and Ethan Dorsey combine for a strong 1-2 punch on the mound. A dominant pitcher can carry a team through the postseason. These pitchers may be on teams without great records, but when they take the mound, their teams can hang with anyone in the state. The junior is 1-3 with 4.08 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 46⅓ innings. Carnes notched double-digits strikeouts twice, striking out 10 against Connersville and 11 against Warren Central. The DePauw commit has a 1-2 record with a 2.62 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 21⅓ innings. The South Florida commit has a 4-2 record with a 2.57 ERA and 53 strikeouts over 30 innings. The Dayton commit is 1-1 with a 3.43 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 32⅔ innings. The Mississippi State commit has a 3-2 record with a 1.56 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 31⅓ innings. The Kentucky commit has a 5-1 record with 51 strikeouts over 37⅔ innings. There may not be a hotter hitter in the state than Mooresville junior Tyler Denny. Over his last 10 games, Denny is 17-for-32 (.531) with 15 runs scored, 13 RBIs, seven doubles, one triple, three home runs and three stolen bases. He has six multi-hit games, a two-home run game against Plainfield, two five-RBI games and two games with three hits over that span.
Chicago Tribune
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
With MLB scouts taking notice, Jacsen Tucker turns on power to spark Oswego East past Oswego. ‘Everybody knows.'
Even though he's only a sophomore, shortstop Jacsen Tucker has developed a reputation that precedes him for Oswego East. Being ranked the No. 3 player in his class in Illinois and the No. 30 at shortstop in the nation by Prep Baseball Report will definitely grab some attention. It's also led to teams attacking Tucker with off-speed pitches, rarely giving him a fastball to hit. 'Everybody knows who he is,' Wolves coach Brian Schaeffer said. 'They're pitching to his weaknesses. He's done a really good job of adjusting. He's still hitting around .330 — he just doesn't have the numbers he had last season. 'When he sees a mistake, he's going to do what he does.' Tucker saw one of those mistakes in the first inning of Thursday's Southwest Prairie Conference game at crosstown rival Oswego. He promptly deposited that pitch well over the left-field fence, giving Oswego East a three-run lead. The Wolves wound up pulling away for a 10-4 win as Tucker finished with three hits, three runs, three RBIs and a stolen base. Devin Wheaton added four RBIs, a double, a run and a stolen base for Oswego East (16-18, 7-8). Carter Rapp scored twice, while Wilson Terrutty chipped in with an RBI double. Dylan King hit a solo homer for Oswego (20-14, 4-11). Jacob Fehrmann had two hits and an RBI and Quinn Stanley notched two hits. Four pitches into the game, Tucker showed why college recruiters and MLB scouts are hot on his trail. He tattooed a pitch to left for his fourth homer of the season, stunning the crowd. 'He got down 3-1, so I knew I had a pitch coming,' said Tucker, who gave the Wolves a 3-0 lead before an out had been recorded. 'I settled into the box, relaxed, took a deep breath. 'When I saw that pitch, I just killed it. I kind of shocked myself. I didn't think I hit it that hard until it got up to its max.' Oswego coach Joe Giarrante has seen a lot of home runs hit at his home park. Tucker's shot was one of the more impressive. 'That got out of here in a hurry,' Giarrante said. 'Just give him credit. He made a mistake and you can't do that to a good hitter. He's really matured a lot over the years. 'That was a good way for them to start the game.' Tucker's second hit, a one-out single in the fifth, showed off his new-found approach. Tucker battled the count to 3-2, then connected to the opposite field for a single. He was along for the ride on Wheaton's three-RBI double that broke open a one-run game and made it 8-4. 'He's a very patient hitter,' Schaeffer said of Tucker. 'When he sees what he wants, he goes after it, but if it's not exactly what he wants, he's patient. He gets deep into counts quite a bit.' This isn't the first time Schaeffer has had a prospect the caliber of Tucker on his hands. It was only four years ago when Noah Schultz was a first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox and teammate Ashton Izzi was a fourth-round pick of the Seattle Mariners. 'It's almost like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, now twice in four years,' Schaeffer said. 'Just enjoying baseball and enjoying high school is important.' Tucker is grateful to have a resource in Schaeffer who has gone through this process. 'It does help on my side,' Tucker said. 'If I need to talk to him about certain things, he's been through that. I lean on him a lot.' College offers are stacking up for Schaeffer, who has even heard from some pro scouts. The advice of just having fun is first and foremost for Tucker, though. 'That's just the key to it,' he said. 'You're not in high school long, so I'm taking in the moments.'
